Recently, whirlpool baths have gained increasing popularity. In these baths, water is agitated to create an invigorating whirlpool motion which provides a type of hydromassage.
In the past, the desired whirlpool motion and hydromassage effect have been created by fittings designed to combine water and air into a jet and then inject the water and air jet into a water receptacle, such as a bathtub, spa, therapy tank or swimming pool, through a directional nozzle (see, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,946,449, 4,335,854, 4,416,030 and 4,420,846). When used in an installation, such as a bathtub, in which the water is not treated with a sanitizing substance and in which the water is frequently drained from the receptacle, such fittings can create a potential unhealthy condition if they are not drained of substantially all water after use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,358,862 discloses a connector assembly for a whirlpool system. The connector assembly connects an outlet or bulkhead fitting to air and water supply channels. In order to facilitate drainage of water from the air and water supply channels, the connector assembly employs an air inlet opening arranged at an elevation no higher than the elevation of the bottom of the air supply channel and a water inlet opening arranged at an elevation no higher than the elevation of the bottom of the water supply channel. Because the outlet or bulkhead fitting does not employ a directional nozzle adapted to control the direction of the aerated jet discharged from the outlet, drainage of the connector assembly is not hindered by such a nozzle.